28.9 BBY, Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Standing a step behind and to the right of my Master, I couldn't help admiring her serene poise. We were standing in the exact center of the Jedi High Council chamber while five members of said Council looked on, and she was as calm as if we were back on Cophrigin V. The arc their seated forms made surrounded us on three sides. Driving home the reality of the High Council's power and authority for whoever stood in their midst. Dark Woman's emotions were as untroubled as the mirrored surface of a lake on a windless day in the face of expressions ranging from intent to speculative, and on into the truly inscrutable for Yoda and Yaddle. While I was finding it difficult to remain calm beneath those penetrating gazes. I felt as if I were a particularly rare species of butterfly, and this symposium of collectors had gathered to decide how best to drive a pin through me and so create the ideal display. Under the stares of these immense presences in the Force, I was developing a tremendous amount of respect for Qui-Gon Jinn's strength of will. Defying these people while they were assembled like this would take a will of iron, and they weren't even trying to be intimidating right now!
"It's unfortunate that you and your Padawan were unable to learn what ultimately became of Knight Vergere. Her disappearance only compounds the Order's recent losses" Mace Windu remarked in a pensive tone. His calm demeanor firmly in place, even as his expression made it clear he could have been a great deal happier. His former apprentice, Master Depa Billaba, glanced at him with concern made clear by her fine-boned features. The tiny jeweled Marks of Illumination in the bridge of her nose and forehead glinting in the room's diffuse lighting as she quickly returned her gaze to us. It was a face which was quickly schooled to impassivity once more, but not before I detected just how distressed she was by her mentor's discontent. Despite the oblique nature of his reference, Mace's allusion to the resignations of Thracia Cho Leem and Sora Bulq had sent a subtle ripple of discomfiture through the auras of his fellow Council members. With the exceptions of Masters Yoda and Yaddle, of course. Those two had promising futures as high-stakes sabacc players before them, if they were ever so inclined.
Dark Woman hesitated for a nearly imperceptible moment before replying. Standing with my hands clasped behind me and my feet equal distances apart as I looked on, I privately doubted anyone who wasn't intimately familiar with her would have noticed either the infinitesimal pause or the extremely subtle hint of exasperation in her voice as she dryly replied "It was unfortunate that the latest violation of planetary sovereignty in the Mid or Outer Rim by elements of the Republic precluded further investigation into Vergere's whereabouts and statements."
Mace Windu stiffened slightly at my Master's implicit criticism of the corruption endemic within the Republic, but other than a nearly silent sigh, the Master of the Order didn't address it directly. Instead, he steepled his fingers, leaned forward a bit, then calmly remarked "You might consider reflecting upon the troubling prospect of passing along your own cynical view of the Republic's condition to an impressionable apprentice."
I couldn't see my Master's face, but I could feel her black humor as she answered "You're suggesting I should deceive my Padawan concerning the state of the government, then?"
"Debate the teaching of apprentices, another time, we can. The meaning of Vergere's message, we must discuss" Yoda abruptly cut in. His manner as firm as it was serene while he did so. Turning his head to the left to eye Mace meaningfully, before returning his attention to Dark Woman with an expression I recognized from the movies conveying his trademark "Kids, these days" air.
The moment the green-skinned alien with ears as emotionally expressive as his large brown eyes spoke, I saw a glimmering latticework of fractured web-lines crossing and recrossing in a convergence of causality I finally recognized as a Shatterpoint. By a process of perception I couldn't yet begin to understand, I suddenly grasped how the Grandmaster's resistance concerning executing Vergere's plan could be broken. Yoda's statement had been enough to cause several moments of still silence in the chamber. Something which should by all rights have intimidated the Hell out of me.
"It's a large clear crystal. Wheel-shaped, faceted, and about three times the size of a grown man's fist. The Force concentrates about it, as if it were some kind of strange mag-lens. The blade to part the veil of the Dark Side, I mean." Struck by the absolute certainty this information would shift Yoda's decision, I hadn't been able to resist blurting out the basics concerning the Kaiburr Crystal's description. The impulse had been all the more irresistible for coming from some shadowy instinctual recess in the depths of my mind.
The Force hummed it's low, subtly vibrating-my-bones warning as six pairs of eyes fixed on me. Each Jedi Master focusing their full and unwavering attention upon what had been up to that moment mostly the curiosity which the near-heretic in their midst was training. Of the six, only my Master didn't seem surprised by my outburst.
Mace Windu and Depa Billaba exchanged glances a few moments after that interjection on my part, as did Yoda and Yaddle, but in a more knowing fashion I thought. His upper body covered in long straight brown hair, with pronounced claws on each finger which made me wonder how he handled a lightsaber, and the imposing lower body of a huge serpent. The Thisspiasian Master, Oppo Rancisis was the one who first responded to me. "Perhaps you could explain how you come by your certainty concerning the nature of the object Jedi Vergere referenced, Padawan?" His tone was mild, but the alien's expression managed to convey skepticism despite the obvious difference between Thisspiasian and human facial features.
"I often see things when I sleep, Master Rancisis. Lately, I've begun seeing things when I'm particularly deep in meditation. The visions associated with the crystal and it's location seem to me like illustrations I studied at length somewhere. The view of the planet from space, then the abandoned temple in the jungle clearing, and finally the huge tentacle-faced statue with the crystal in it's chest. They're all detailed images I can recall as easily as a memory of you, if I were to close my eyes" I answered the Jedi Master with all the calm seriousness I could muster. My palms were sweating and there was a lead weight in my gut as a result of all the attention, but I held my ground and continued looking back at him without regard for the anxiety caused by the (minor) element of untruthfulness in my testimony.
"Anakin's Far Sight has grown quite developed recently. If he says the object Vergere referred to is a crystal embedded in the chest of an ancient statue, I would not wager against his sight." The firm confidence of my Master's voice as she spoke up in support of me was gratifying, but I detected an undertone which suggested there was a twenty mile run against time in my future for demonstrating talents in front of the High Council I knew she would have preferred for me to keep under wraps. Dark Woman was no one's fool. She knew there had been an unhealthy (for me) amount of interest in the supposed "Chosen One" ever since Qui-Gon had reported his discovery to the High Council. Just as she'd known training me in the Temple would have exposed me to being both ostracized by those who'd known each other since the creches, and unfairly judged by Masters insisting I be exactly like every other cookie-cutter Initiate they were progressing by incremental steps of orthodoxy toward becoming someone's apprentice. Unlike what a newly Knighted and woefully inexperienced Obi-Wan Kenobi would have tolerated due to a simple lack of confidence in his authority as the Master of a Padawan learner, both eventualities were absolutely unacceptable to my strangely and savagely protective Master, so away we had stayed. Until the web which was the hunt for the Sith had entangled us in its strands, as I at least had always known it would.
"I don't perceive the strong personal connection to a person, place, or thing that normally triggers uncontrolled instances of Far-Sight. Would you happen to have an explanation, or at least a plausible theory, as to why your apprentice is dreaming of an ancient relic on the other side of the galaxy?" Rancisis asked my Master in the too-formal manner he was infamous for when displeased or disturbed and lacking a good reason to show it.
With the smallest of shrugs, Dark Woman forthrightly answered "I was dubious on that point myself, at first. Especially when Anakin eventually confided to me he'd also witnessed Weaponmaster Bulq deleting a list of thirty-eight worlds from the planetary registry in both the Temple Archives and the secure back-up storage located within the Vault. My Padawan has never even met Sora Bulq, and these were two locations he'd never even seen images of, after all. Still, he remained so adamant about the matter, that I gave him my word I'd look into it when we arrived here. Imagine my surprise, then, when the Chief Librarian confirmed just such a list of planets had been deleted once I gave her reason to check specifically for that sort of erasure. Unfortunately, Master Nu was unable to determine the identity of the culprit, but she's absolutely certain only a Jedi Master could have accessed and subsequently erased such information from the protected memory in the Vault. When you couple that assurance with the fact the recovered timestamp of these erasures dates to only eight days before Bulq's resignation, Sora Bulq would already have been apprehended and deposited in a holding cell to await questioning by the most senior Jedi Shadows available if I were a member of this august body."
Mace's expression grew strained, and his calm thinned noticeably as he replied in a terse manner "Master Dark Woman, this Council has already taken the matter of the troubling data-erasure under advisement, as you well know. Airing your speculations concerning Sora Bulq in front of your apprentice was uncalled for. I will thank you to show more discretion going forward."
I couldn't see my Master's face, but I was very surprised to feel a few notes of concern from her for the man she'd seemed set on squaring off with prior to this moment. My awareness of that concern for Windu only confused the matter for me as Dark Woman continued in a chastising tone of her own, however. "I suppose the timing of those data erasures could simply be another coincidence. Just like the recent bombing on Ruul by Houk extremists that claimed the lives of Bulq's father and older brother. Giving your old friend complete control of the Bulq family's nine hundred and fifty billion-credit financial empire, as well as a ready-made excuse to increase the militarization of said moon under the guise of increased anti-terrorism measures. It's possible all of this is nothing but a string of unconnected coincidences, of course, but how likely is that really?"
I could feel the discordant notes multiplying in Master Windu's aura, but they were being drowned out almost as fast as they cropped up in his personal song by a howling symmetry of harshly repeating notes that reminded me a great deal of the sudden and powerful gusts of wind on Ilum. The rate at which the discordant notes were being silenced continued to increase, as I realized I was sensing the Jedi Master's efforts with the Force to regain his emotional equilibrium. Keeping track of what I sensed in addition to following an important discussion, plus all the equally significant non-verbal cues was beginning to grow really difficult. I still wasn't entirely acclimated to the leap forward in sensitivity I'd made no more than a month and change ago on Zonama Sekot, so the strong emotions of others tended to grow as abrasive as a psychic sort of wind burn over time, and quite distracting besides. Again, I was so caught up in what was going on within my head, I nearly missed the Master of the Order's response.
"You've made your points, Dark Woman. Leave it at that, please" Mace quietly answered her. Mysteriously, at least from my perspective, much of the tension seemed to have left the man. I wouldn't have called him tranquil or serene, as I would have Yoda or Yaddle, but he seemed completely in command of himself for the first time since we'd entered the chamber. I wondered at that given the confrontational nature of the clash between him and my Master, before a sudden and startling flash of insight revealed to me my Master had actually been trying to help Windu this whole time. Before I could figure out how I felt about that, or Dark Woman could reply to Windu's request one way or another, Yoda adroitly slipped in and seized control of the discussion once more.
"Wandered from our purpose again, we have. Accuracy of young Skywalker's vision, the Order must determine. For this reason, four Jedi to Circarpous V, I will take." The Grandmaster's statements weren't in line with his usual style of inviting discussion of a problem until a consensus was achieved, but it didn't take a great deal of thought to account for the deviation from his personal norm. The obscuring pall of the Dark Side had been impeding his vision in an increasingly maddening fashion for years now. Making the prospect of cutting through all the suggestive dead-ends and outright prevarications which had been blocking his precognition a temptingly blessed relief from ongoing feelings of frustration stemming from a loss of control. Not to mention an ever-increasing sense of helplessness in a rapidly changing galaxy. Something which had been slowly sapping the great Jedi's strength for the last few centuries.
Unsurprisingly, my perception of Yoda as the deciding factor in this situation quickly bore itself out. Masters Windu and Rancisis both made token objections to the Grandmaster's going in the form of alternative suggestions, but everyone in the room could tell the small yet enormously powerful being was in no mood to delegate. It was to his very great credit he listened attentively to their each and every objection. Fully internalizing what all of the High Council's members had to say, before finally dismissing their individual reservations and moving along to filling out his mission roster.
What did surprise me was hearing Yoda intended for Dark Woman and I to come along. My Master's usefulness during a mission to a jungle world was obvious enough. Dark Woman could control plant life to an amazing degree using the Force. I'd once seen her make a redwood-sized tree walk like an Ent, then re-root itself somewhere more convenient when she was expanding the obstacle course on Cophrigin V. The feat hadn't even seemed to tire her, so I could definitely envision her abilities proving useful on Mimban/Circarpous V. The reasoning behind my own participation in such an important undertaking wasn't as yet apparent to me, however. The Grandmaster's third choice was again one I likewise immediately grasped the reasoning for, but Yoda's lack of foreknowledge was going to make this entire mission extremely uncomfortable for me.
"I understand choosing a Knight who was trained by one of the Order's chief archeologists. It's just Ameesa Darys will end up falling even faster than her former Master, down the line." The thought was a bleak one, but I comforted myself with the knowledge I'd stand a much better chance of keeping newly Knighted Ameesa out of my thoughts and feelings, as opposed to her ex-Master, Jerec (Inquisitor) . My Master assured me my Thought Shield was better than that of many young Knights she'd known, but concealing one's thoughts and emotions from a Miralukan Jedi Master who'd spent decades honing the entire umbrella of Sense abilities was clearly beyond my (present) capabilities. Hopefully, my ambivalence concerning Ameesa's fate in a timeline I was already changing would help me stay off the Knight's radar, because I sure the fuck wasn't going to trust her for so much as one heartbeat.
Hallan Krintu was a Rutian Twi'lek Jedi Knight I'd known absolutely nothing about. I quickly gathered that the Grandmaster's final choice was a Jedi Researcher with a specialty as a Liturgist, however. Which would only make sense from Yoda's perspective, because he was anticipating needing to divine the Kaiburr Crystal's function from materials available where it was found. Which, come to think of it, might well be a superior alternative to Luke and Leia's "Let's just wing it while mortally wounded" stratagem. I was basically demanding Yoda penetrate the most impenetrable Force-mask utilized in the last two thousand years via the Kaiburr Crystal. The Light's Grand Goblin deserved all the help he could get, because I sure as fuck wasn't looking forward to watching the 501st Legion get constantly reinforced as my idiotic-yet-somehow-strategically-successful plans killed clones (ironically) too loyal for their own good by the thousands.
A few additional details were being gone over, but my attention had quickly wandered from what I'd determined was a non-vital discussion concerning logistics. I'd had basically no time at all to come to grips with the fact I seemed to possess one of the rarer Force-talents, and didn't really know what to think about the fact I'd just altered Yoda's decision concerning the search for the Kaiburr Crystal. Granted, I didn't know what his decision would have been if I'd refrained from opening my mouth. There was also the fact that pretty much all of Anakin's biological descendants had possessed the ability to perceive, if not actually Force Breach the Shatterpoints the Force showed them, so my stunned surprise might be a bit unwarranted from a logical perspective. My theory as to why the Chosen One had initially lacked this talent was his complete inability to detach himself from anyone or anything in which he vested emotional value. Since that wasn't my epic weakness, I'd apparently defaulted back to being open to insights provided by the Force like all the other Skywalkers and Solos.
The High Council let us withdraw shortly thereafter. Though not before I learned it was going to take nearly five weeks to acquire use of a ship capable of withstanding the rampant high intensity lightning-strikes which vessels entering Mimban's atmosphere were inevitably subjected to. I knew what that meant, of course. I was going to have to train within the Temple, with other Padawans, and under the supervision of Masters who were not my Master. In other words, people who would stubbornly insist on boring me to death by treating me as the twelve year old they perceived. A fate which Dark Woman had eventually permitted me to earn an escape from via endlessly consistent demonstrations of maturity beyond my years, and a diligence directed my education's way that the most gifted twelve year old the galaxy had ever seen would not have matched for lack of unfair preternatural maturity-advantages.
I didn't need precognition to realize I wasn't going to enjoy the next month.
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28.8 BBY, Coruscant, Jedi Temple (33 Days Later)
Watching from the observation tier a dozen feet above the sparring-ring, I studied sixteen year old Tutso Mara/Legends as he and my apprentice bowed to each other prior to the match's beginning. Already tall for his age and beginning to fill out with a little muscle at six feet flat and one hundred sixty-five pounds, Tutso's economy of motion also hinted at excellent physical coordination. At five feet eight inches, Anakin was also quite tall for one so young, but the little muscle stretched over his one hundred and forty pound frame was the result of a physical regimen some might call unduly harsh. Some of Tutso's muscle mass was simply a matter of testosterone and oncoming manhood. Whereas his adversary had (sometimes literally) bled for every ounce of power and stamina he'd packed into a body which was only now beginning to develop.
Height, reach, strength, and additional years of experience all favored the older Padawan. In contrast, Anakin's unaugmented, baseline reflexes weren't among the best I'd seen in nearly eighty years of service to the Jedi Order. They were the best I'd ever seen even compared with preternaturally quick near-humans. Adding insult to an opponent's injury, he was also extremely fast and very coordinated for a youth whose body was changing so rapidly. The awkward clumsiness that plagued so many swiftly growing boys seemed to have passed him by entirely. Still, speed, agility, and dexterity weren't everything you could wish for when you received no mass-assist from your weapon. Assuming I kept him alive long enough, the day would come my apprentice would not need to be concerned by a blade-lock, but that day was not today. Worse still, Tutso wasn't by any means slow. Before encountering Aurra and Anakin, I would have even called the young man fast. His own speed, agility, and overall reflexes bit significantly into one of his opponent's only two clear physical advantages. Meaning speed alone wasn't going to win the day for my Padawan.
No, if Anakin Skywalker was going to beat Tutso Mara, then he was going to do it with his wits, technique, and the tireless endurance provided by Matukai training. This was by no means his first sparring match in the Temple, however, so that incredible stamina wouldn't come as any sort of surprise to a skilled and perceptive Padawan like Mara. It was an interesting challenge for my young apprentice, and one I was quite looking forward to seeing him meet.
My close scrutiny of the match's beginning was interrupted by the voice of the man who'd glided over to stand at my right elbow. I'd been hoping the Battlemaster would wait until the conclusion of the match to bring to me the concerns he'd already raised (unsuccessfully) with at least one member of the Council of First Knowledge/Legends . When I saw him open his mouth to speak and begin marring my ongoing analysis of the spar in progress, however, I knew that hope had been in vain.
"My apprentice has spent the last month confined to an educational environment which would have been appropriate for him when he was eight. Rather than allow himself to grow bored, or demonstrate an unseemly arrogance due to his prodigal status, Anakin has spent his time helping those few Padawans his age not intent on excluding him as the majority has. Sparring with the older Padawans has been the one thing he's found personally rather than altruistically stimulating this month. Don't ask me to deprive him of that for the remainder of our stay, because I won't do it. Not simply to satisfy the Temple's absurd notions concerning appropriate homogeneity of training. If you want the bouts stopped, you're going to have to publicly exercise your perogative as Battlemaster to do so. At which point I will file a grievance before the Council of First Knowledge. Asking you to show or demonstrate the harm or potential harm to apprentice education. Something I'm sure Master Piell already warned you this is what I'd do. Never having had the least respect for rank and position, you see" I was perhaps a trifle more curt in offering this explanation than I'd needed to be, but dealing with the ridiculous restrictions that bound up every aspect of life within the Temple always set my teeth on edge.
Cin Drallig's craggy, lined features twisted into an exasperated scowl as he opened his mouth to retort, but this time it wasn't me who cut him off.
"While I am hesitant to opine too strongly as to specifics I comprehend imperfectly, I must say that in general, I have never agreed with the practice of holding excellence back to satisfy some abstract notion of normal among the majority. Our best minds and talents in every field of endeavor must be afforded every reasonable aid in realizing their full potential, because it is these luminaries which make a disproportionate impact upon the common good." Turning, I saw the words offered with elegant sophistication by a smiling, middle-aged man of middling height and weight. The speaker's short silver hair and formal crimson robes trimmed in black were meticulously maintained, yet this attention to his appearance only added to the figure's affable sort of dignity rather than making him seem foppish. When he stepped from the shadows of the archway at the top of the stairwell and onto the observation tier proper, I brutally suppressed the impulse to gasp. I hadn't recognized the voice because I confined my use of the HoloNet to very particular subjects, but the Supreme Chancellor's face appeared on the heading of innumerable entries upon the 'Net.
Recovering from my surprise before the Battlemaster found his own voice, I inclined my head with respect in the direction of the Republic's charismatic leader, then calmly replied "It so happens I agree with you, Chancellor. I don't mean to imply any sort of elitism, of course, but it's as you said. When someone reaches their full potential, their impact on society exceeds any number of individuals moving forward with only a small fraction of personally realized potential. These pathfinders then become leading lights to guide many toward aiding in the realization of all the Republic's greatest achievements."
"Quite, Master- Oh, I don't believe we've been introduced. Please, forgive my atrocious manners, Master Jedi. It's been a very long and trying day. Closeted with several contrary and quarrelsome Senators, and all of them arguing at cross-purposes. It's days like this one I find myself forever grateful to Master Yoda for permitting me to take part in the peace and serenity of the Temple" Chancellor Palpatine immediately apologized.
Seldom having had positive experiences with the politicians I'd encountered during thousands of missions, I nevertheless found myself liking this genteel, soft-spoken, and self-effacing man in whom so much power had been vested. The Order's profile on the man indicated he was an extremely clever and highly capable politician, but his present rank made such a conclusion self-evident. Still, he had a certain understated something that inspired confidence in him. An impossible to quantify "X-Factor" he'd undoubtedly made great use of during his career.
"It's Master Dark Woman, Chancellor. I gave up my personal name long ago, as part of an ongoing effort to remain detached and serve the Force" I politely explained. It troubled me to turn my attention from Anakin's bout, but even I wasn't iconoclast enough to offend the leader of the Republic by ignoring him in favor of my Padawan.
The conversation went on in a light and fairly inconsequential vein for the next several minutes, but the Chancellor's frequent glances down into the ring and his air of expectation clued me in to the real reason for the man's presence. It wasn't exactly an uncommon or inexplicable occurrence, after all. Though this was the first time a non-Jedi had grown so interested in my "Chosen One" of an apprentice.
"Hmm, I seem to remember John (Antilles) telling me something about his old friend, Master Ronhar Kim being an intimate of the Chancellor. Probably explains his curiosity about Anakin. I swear these younger Masters don't even know the meaning of the word discretion." I silently mused. Managing to take in the final exchange between my Padawan and Mara. The older, stronger boy had managed to force his smaller adversary up against the boundary line. Leaving Anakin the unenviable alternatives of disqualification by ring-out, or playing Tutso's game and getting caught in the blade-lock sure to follow his cross-wise high parry against the downward cut of the taller boy's saber.
It happened so fast, I could have missed it if I hadn't been the one to teach him the "dishonest" maneuver. The energy shroud of Anakin's training-saber suddenly blinked out of existence as he deactivated it, then dove forward using a brief burst of Force Speed beneath his suddenly off-balance opponent's guard to drive his left shoulder into the ball of Tutso's right hip. Sending the teen staggering as my Padawan's saber hissed back to life and tapped Mara across the belly despite a staggered attempt to backpedal. It would have been enough to prevent his being bisected, but was too little to keep the contents of his abdomen from being carbonized if this had been for real. It wasn't a perfect victory by any means, but it was a victory, and one my young apprentice could rightly be proud of. I studied the other Padawan's face for any sign he resented losing to someone four years his junior, but saw that Tutso's congratulations and shared enthusiasm for the bout just past seemed admirably genuine. It brought a smile to my face, because Tutso Mara had been one of the few who seemed to really try and befriend Anakin once his gifts, numerous natural aptitudes, and frankly unusual maturity level had become apparent.
"Are results like this one fairly commonplace? Where the younger, smaller duelist manages to overcome his older, larger adversary? I once inquired of Master Windu what it was like to wield such an unusual weapon, but my limited comprehension of his answer is something I find a trifle embarrassing to admit to" Palpatine alternately asked and remarked. His dark blue eyes met mine as he awaited my reply with what seemed like a genuine interest in the subject, so I tried not to disappoint in the interests of diplomacy.
"Actually, Anakin possesses an unusual aptitude for all aspects of lightsaber combat. It affords him a significant advantage when compared with other students his age. The Jedi Order is fortunate enough to locate a few such prodigies in every generation. It simply happens to be my honor, privilege and responsibility to be the primary trainer of this one. That's the more general answer to your question, Chancellor. Specifically, no, I'm confident in stating the older Padawan you observed could prevail alone against any three other twelve year old apprentices presently being trained. Unlike his peers, Anakin is being taught as the majority of Jedi were trained ten or twelve generations ago. Meaning he's benefited from one-on-one instruction since he was barely old enough to walk. The combination of those additional years of individual instruction with his natural gifts gives him an advantage that makes his real peers the older apprentices." It was an exhaustive explanation of the physical dynamic. One which I hoped would simultaneously satisfy the Chancellor and distract him from questioning whether or not there was anything else unusual about my apprentice.
"Would it be possible to get the young victor's opinion? In the course of the Republic's business, I converse with the Order's upper echelon on an almost daily basis, but I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of speaking with a Jedi-in-training. It would, I think, give me additional insight into the Order. Unless contact between outsiders and your trainees is proscribed?" It was a reasonable enough request on the part of a politician who seemed to fit the profile of what we called a "Wish-I-Was" when I was a Padawan. The term referred to a certain sort of person who wasn't Force-sensitive and so romanticized the status. Why, then, was I suddenly uncomfortable with introducing Anakin to a man I found myself liking and, much to my surprise, already beginning to respect?
Shaking off my Master's possessiveness while administering some serious, albeit silent self-castigation, I leaned over the railing and called out "Anakin, would you join me up here? There's someone I'd like for you to meet."